Text: INS Commissioner July 8 in Hong Kong on Alien Smuggling
(Migrant smuggling a worldwide problem, Meissner says)

Following is an advance copy of remarks Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) Commissioner Doris Meissner is scheduled to deliver in Hong Kong July 8:

(begin text)

Statement by INS Commissioner Doris Meissner
On Her Visit to Hong Kong July 8, 2000

I look forward to a fruitful visit to Hong Kong. I will be meeting with local law enforcement officials to determine to how we can best build on the close relationship the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service has forged with their agencies to combat the exploitative and often deadly activities of migrant smugglers.

Migrant smuggling is not a just problem here in Hong Kong. It is a well-organized, multi-billion-dollar-a-year criminal activity that spans the globe. The recent deaths of 58 Chinese migrants in Britain and the discovery earlier this year of three dead migrants in a cargo container in Seattle underscore that fact that for those involved in this reprehensible activity profits are more precious than people.

Fortunately, U.S. and Hong Kong authorities have developed a productive partnership. Local law enforcement officials have been instrumental in assisting their U.S. counterparts in many recent smuggling cases. I am eager to exchange views on how we can expand our cooperative efforts to stem the activities of those criminals who seek to profit from human misery.

(end text)

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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